


Fire Hazard

by dressrosa



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And for Smut in Later Chapters, Angst, Blind Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, F/F, Firefighter!Gabe, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rated M for Gabe's Naughty Mouth, Rating May Change, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, barista!Jack, slight slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-18 02:02:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9360695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dressrosa/pseuds/dressrosa
Summary: Gabriel Reyes, father of one Jesse McCree and resident firefighter in the town of Gibraltar. Also low key pining for the affections of the blond sweetheart who works in the coffee shop across the street from the fire department.(Discontinued until further notice.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Got the inspiration to write when I saw [this.](http://68.media.tumblr.com/8bd0cad5821dd9e5290507cd7a15a462/tumblr_og3tcdWYXo1rgendoo1_1280.png)
> 
> Not beta read, sorry for any mistakes. The story for now is in Gabe's point of view but let me know if you'd like to see Jack's or maybe even Jesse's point of view as the story goes on! 
> 
> My first contribution to the Overwatch fandom! Let's just hope it goes well and you enjoy. :)

“How much sugar would you like?”  
  
Those were the first words the beautiful blonde barista asked Gabriel when he first met him. It seemed fitting. Now whenever he thought of sugar or anything remotely sweet, he would think back to the brilliant smile of the blonde bombshell he met earlier in the week.  
  
It had simply said “Jack” on the white nameplate attached to the blue apron he wore and Gabriel committed the name to memory; as well as Jack’s expressive, doe blue eyes and every freckle he managed to spot along the bridge of his well-shaped nose.  
  
He had never believed in “love at first sight” but damn, it was hard to not believe in it after meeting Jack. Although, he couldn’t really call it “meeting” per say. The only thing he knew about Jack was his name and that he had never met anyone as intriguing. And the only thing Jack knew about him was his name.  
  
Gabriel cursed when hot oil splattered on his hand, not realizing the eggs were almost burnt black in the pan.  
  
“Dad, you cursed again,” Jesse said from the table, giving Gabriel a cocky smirk.  
  
“Yeah yeah, I got it,” Gabriel muttered as he put the eggs onto a plate. He walked over to the glass jar that sat on the opposite side of the counter. He grabbed his wallet from the small glass container that held various keys and opened it up to grab a single dollar bill. He shuffled over to the glass jar labeled “Swear Jar” written in a much younger Jesse’s handwriting, scrawled with doodled red skulls drawn with crayon.  
  
When he had first adopted Jesse, the first thing Amélie had told him was to stop swearing like a sailor every other sentence. Amélie swore if she heard Jesse swear in her presence she would make Gabriel pay and it would be a lot more than just a dollar in a jar. Gabriel rolled his eyes at the memory but also suppressing a shudder at the thought of Amélie in general.  
  
“Alright kid, eat these eggs and I’ll drop you off at school. Always got to be punctual for the first day, especially of high school.” Gabe said as he grabbed the plate of eggs and placed it in front of Jesse.  
  
Jesse looked down at the plate then back at Gabe, then once more back at the eggs and finally again to Gabe.  
  
“Listen dad, I appreciate the thought but don’t you think we could have something other than eggs in the morning? Like bacon or pancakes?” Jesse said as he quietly whipped the eggs around his plate with a fork.  
  
“What’s wrong with my eggs? My abuela used to make eggs for me every day and look at me now,” To make a point he flexed his arms, his already large biceps becoming even more pronounced.  
“Yeah, look at you now,” Jesse rolled his eyes nonchalantly, bringing up black and yellow eggs to his mouth.  
  
“I’m not going to ask what you mean by that,” Gabriel sneered as he went over to the stove to cook up his own plate of eggs.  
  


* * *

The town of Gibraltar wasn’t anything to be too amazed by but it was enough that oncoming tourists would stand in awe occasionally. The size of the town wasn’t as grand as the populous Numbani but also wasn’t as small as Deadeye Gorge. It was a quaint town with enough in it that the local teenagers didn’t get bored. Moving here from Dorado wasn’t the worst decision in the world, it had a lot more opportunities and the Los Muertos gang wasn’t there to cause trouble every week. It was definitely a better place to raise a young child, that was for certain.

Jesse sat in the passenger side, looking out the window with the same glassy eyed look whenever he got a chance to take in the scenery even though he had lived here for a good amount of years. Gabe chuckled when Jesse got a little too overexcited of seeing a cute little puppy being walked down the street while they were at a stoplight.

“Dad look, I think it’s a golden retriever. I read that in one of my books!” Jesse’s face was pressed up against the window as if it would get him a better look at the dog. Its tail wagged side to side enthusiastically as it stood next to its owner at the crosswalk, looking back at Jesse with the same amount of excitement. Gabe couldn’t help but chuckle at the similarities.

“Can we get a dog, dad?” Jesse said as he sat back down in his seat properly.

“Jeez, I don’t know if I can handle two mutts in the house,”

“If there’s any dog in the house, it’s you dad,”

“Watch your mouth, punk.”  


* * *

Gabriel’s mouth sat in a straight line as he pulled up to the place Jesse would be spending the next four years at. The stark white and orange letters stood proudly above the American flag that stood in the middle of the entrance, billowing proudly in the wind. Overwatch high school was one of the few A rated high schools in the town and Gabriel was glad their house was zoned in the same area. Though he didn’t know too much about the school itself, Amélie’s own adoptive son Lucio went to the same high school. It took some weight off of Gabe’s chest knowing someone Jesse knew would also be attending Overwatch.

“You know the ground rules, don’t you Jesse?” Gabe asked as he backed into a parking space facing the front of the school.

“Don’t wander off, attend all my classes, actually eat lunch and not some sugary snack, and be respectful and don’t get into fights,” Jesse listed off.

“Unless?”

“Unless they’re being an insensitive jerk, then you can punch them in the face.”

“That’s my boy,” Gabe grinned. “Now get out there and give them hell.”

“Hey you just—“ Jesse started before Gabriel put a hand up to stop him.

“My car, my rules. Now get out before I get out and embarrass you in front of all your future peers.”

Jesse smiled and tipped the obnoxious cowboy hat he still for some reason wore even though he was already fifteen.

“They gonna let you wear that thing inside?” Gabe asked with an eyebrow raised.

“I can just put it in my backpack if they make a fuss about it,” Jesse smirked as he stepped out of the car, swinging his red backpack on his shoulder. “I’ll see you later dad.”

“See you mijo.”  


* * *

Now Gabriel hadn’t planned on making a quick stop to the coffee shop before he started his shift but somehow, he had managed to do just that.

He looked up at the bold font of the coffee shop before taking a deep breath and walking through the door. The light jingle of the bell on the door soothed him, something that would have used to annoy him. The green and gold palette of the interior made the shop feel cozy and safe. Various decorations and paintings lined the walls as well as knickknacks and merchandise all baring the Kofi Aromo signature logo and lion. He sees that a line has already formed in front of the counter so he walks over to take his place at the very end.

Gabriel glances over the coffee shop, trying to commit every detail to memory. He looks over to one of the larger walls of the shop. The wall is dedicated solely to pictures taken by the customers who regularly come and go to the shop. Some are polaroids with captions written in sharpie on the bottom and some are more modern glossy photos. Gabe recognizes many of the faces that are plastered there. He instantly sees Lucio in many of the photos, always grinning. He chuckles when he spots one of his favorite photos. It’s a picture of Lucio, Amélie and her wife Lena. Lucio is in the middle with both of his arms around Amélie and Lena’s shoulders as Lena smiles per usual and Amélie has a hint of a smile on her usually stoic face.

Although he knows a lot of the faces, there are a few that he still can’t put a name to. A small Asian girl stands with Lucio in some of the newer photos, usually giving a peace sign or bunny ears. Another is a blonde woman with kind eyes who is also usually joined by a woman with darker skin. _Middle eastern maybe?_ When he notices the tattoo beneath the woman’s eye, he reassesses and concludes she might be Egyptian.

Although there are plenty of different faces on the collage of photos, none of them are Jack. It strikes him as odd. Why wouldn’t he have his own photo? Every employee Gabe has come across in the shop has at least one or two photos on the wall. He doesn’t have a chance to mull it over before it’s his turn to place his order. And lo and behold the cashier is Jack.

“Hello, welcome to Kofi Aromo. What would you like?” Jack’s smooth voice washes over Gabe before he has a chance to take in Jack’s presence. But although Jack is talking to him, Gabe notices that his eyes aren’t looking in his direction.

“Uh, I’ll just get the…” Gabriel trails off as he realizes he doesn’t even know what he wants to order. The last time he had been here he was sent by his supervisor Reinhardt to get him an extra-large black coffee. He hadn’t even thought about what he would order. “Actually, what do you recommend?”

Jack tilts his head in the most infuriatingly adorable way – pull yourself together, Gabe – and smiles. “Well, do you prefer sweet or bitter?”

_Sweet, just like you._

“Uh, sweet I guess?”

“Then I recommend maybe a Frappuccino? We have a caramel one and it’s one of my favorites.”

“Then yeah, I’ll get one of those.”

“What size? We have tall, grande or venti,”

“…Medium?”

“Grande it is,” Jack chuckles and Gabe really has to get extra storage in his brain because he wants to remember that sound for the rest of his life. Jack punches in his order and tells him the price, Gabe handing him his credit card while trying his hardest not to let his hand linger too long.

“Gabriel, wasn’t it?” Jack askes with confidence as he hands Gabriel back his credit card. “I remember you from earlier this week.”

“Yeah, it is,” Gabe resists the urge to grin from ear to ear. _So, Jack remembered him, huh?_

“Alright, they’ll call your name when it’s ready.” Jack says as Gabe moves to the side to let the next customer order. Gabriel tries one last time to make eye contact, wanting desperately – though he’ll never admit it out loud – for those ocean blue eyes to meet his earth brown ones for one last time before he leaves.  
  
Though it never happens.  
  
Gabriel lets out a small huff of frustration as he must move over more to let the other customers pile in.

It isn’t until his name is called that he glances behind the counter – definitely not to see more of Jack of course – to see a white cane subtly leaning on the plastic laminate right next to Jack, that he realizes why Jack hasn’t made eye contact with him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training new recruits? Easy. Getting Jack out of his mind? Impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I can either post more chapters around this length or instead I can post longer chapters about every other day or at least every week. What do you guys think? Let me know!

Though the walk from the coffee shop to the fire department was not long, it felt like it stretched out for miles as Gabriel waited at the crosswalk. 

The moment his eyes had zeroed in on the white walking cane, it seemed like everything else had melted away, leaving only the stark white of the cane in the middle of the shop. It didn't feel right to be shocked. He felt as if he was already laying judgement on Jack. 

Being critical of Jack. 

He shook the thought out of his head. He rubbed his head, running his hand through his curls atop the shaved sides of his head. No, he wasn't going to jump to conclusions already. But knowing there was a possible roadblock, it planted a seed of worry deep in the roots of his mind. Though it wasn't as if Gabriel didn't have difficulties himself. He was headstrong, didn't have a filter most of the time, and fought more with his fists than with his words; unless spitting out curse words counted as fighting back. He was scarred inside and out. Unlike Jack who seemed untouched, unblemished, perfect in every way. They were on opposite sides of the spectrum, on different poles. On different paths that would never meet, no matter how hard Gabriel desperately tried to claw his way towards Jack. It felt like his childhood all over again.

 _It's better to forget about it all._  

Finally crossing the street, he kept walking until he came face to face with the towering red metal doors that led to the parking area for the firetrucks. He fished his keys out of his pocket, sliding one into the lock and closing the door immediately after entering. The smell of rubber and cleaning supplies immediately hit his nose, making him scrunch his face up in distaste. Even though he had been here for a good couple years, the smell inside the department was always worse than the humid breeze and occasional smog outside. 

He was about to quietly make his way towards the locker rooms before a familiar deep voice rang throughout the entrance. 

"Ah Gabriel, good morning!" 

Gabriel glanced up, having to angle his head upwards to make eye contact with his boss. 

Reinhardt was a monster of a man, physically at least. His silver hair was slicked back as usual, giving him a more wise look than anything. His beard was neatly trimmed and his eyes were shining bright with amusement and energy. As if his vigor wasn't suffocating enough, the large red bulk of his Nomex jacket made Gabe's eyes burn. 

"Mornin' Reinhardt," Gabe nodded his head in greeting. 

"Now now Gabriel, what ever did that poor coffee cup do to you, eh?" Reinhardt's tone was teasing, glancing at the coffee cup slowly being crushed in his head with a raised eyebrow. 

His eyes widened while his hand immediately released its death grip on the plastic cup as if he had just squeezed an animal in his hand. He glanced down at the crumpled cup, brow furrowing in agitation. He hadn't even noticed. 

"Sorry, guess I don't know my own strength," he answered, trying to play it off. "They should be giving me steel plated cups over at the coffee shop nowadays," 

Reinhardt let out a laugh, bringing a giant hand to clap Gabriel on the back. He had to resist the urge to wince. 

"Good to know I have such strong men in my unit then!" 

"Yeah, you can count on me," 

"Always Gabriel! Now go find your comrades, I'm sure they're lurking around here somewhere."

"Will do, boss." 

* * *

He threaded his way through the rest of the building towards the back. It wasn't until he passed the threshold to the locker rooms that he saw most of his coworkers getting ready for the day. 

"A little late to the game, aren't you Gabriel?" a gruff voice called out.

Gabriel chuckled as he made his way over to his own locker, twisting the combination into the lock and popping it open. "Just went to get some coffee after dropping the troublemaker at school." 

"Oh yes, isn't it Jesse's first day of high school? That boy is growing up so fast," Winston chimed in, sitting on the bench while trying to slip on his boots. Gabriel was surprised when Reinhardt actually found boots wide enough to accommodate Winston's still growing feet. Just like their boss, Winston had a caring heart that matched his bulky appearance. 

"Hmph, so the runt is finally getting bigger huh?" Mako let out a chortle. Mako "Roadhog" Rutledge completed the holy trinity of gigantic men in the station. He had gained the nickname by becoming the best firetruck operator in the station. Even if a fire was all the way across town, Mako would get there in no time. Although it gave Gabriel a heart attack every time he road along with him, he knew he could count on Mako to get to whatever destination quickly and safely. 

"Still a brat though, no matter how old he gets," Gabriel snorted as he pulled off his t-shirt to swap it with his black regulation one. "I swear he's going to give me gray hairs before I'm fifty."

"As if you don't have any already," After zipping up his jacket, Mako punches him on the bicep playfully, though it feels like a boxers right hook, "Don't lie to yourself." 

Gabriel looked over his shoulder, smirking as he flexed his arms and upper back, "As if gray hairs would make me any less attractive, asshole," He shimmied off his pants, chucking them off with one foot and grabbing the rest of his uniform off its hook. "I know I'll look damn good even when I go over the hill." 

Mako rolled his eyes, "You're lucky we don't have a swear jar here or else you'd be filling it to the brim."

Gabriel slammed his locker close, "You're damn right." 

Winston adjusted his wire framed glasses before adding in, "By the way Gabriel, when are you heading to the main hall to see the new recruits? Reinhardt said you'd be there at ten sharp."

"The new what?" Gabriel turned around to look at Winston, his pants still unzipped and hanging low on his hips. 

"Didn't you look at the news board? Reinhardt thought it was about time we got some fresh meat in here, god knows we need the extra hands," Mako grumbled, crossing his heavy arms against his chest. 

"Shit, are you kidding me? No one even uses that goddamn board anymore, the only things on there are Jamison's fucking doodles," Gabriel said. 

"Hey, my kid's artwork is goddamn beautiful. You're just jealous because the only thing Jesse draws are skulls and disproportionate horses," Mako growled out. Even though Mako complained about his spitfire son constantly, he got protective of him whenever someone even said something remotely hostile about him. _The kid must have ADHD or something, or maybe Mako just feeds the scrawny kid way too much sugar._

"Yeah yeah, because everyone likes looking at cartoon explosions and blood spurting around everywhere," Gabriel finished pulling up his pants and slipping on his work boots, "Don't you censor that kid at all? He knows how brain matter looks way too well." 

"Kid has always had a creative mind." Mako argues.

Winston clears his throat before looking at Gabriel with a questioning look, "Gabriel, shouldn't you be heading down there now?"

He suppresses a groan as he starts walking out of the locker room but not before throwing a pissed off look at Mako's direction. 

"And I'm guessing the rest of you are just gonna stand around in the back and watch me intimidate the hell out of these new kids?" Gabriel states. 

He resists facepalming as all he gets in response is a sympathetic look from Winston and a shit eating grin from Mako. 

He's about to give these kids hell.

* * *

Gabriel tried not to mumble and grumble as he made his way towards the main area of the station. He tugged at the orange suspenders attached to his pants and hissed as he accidentally let go too soon, feeling them snap against his pectorals. He trudged along the floor, his boots squeaking against the linoleum occasionally.

 _Why in the hell was he in charge of the brats?_ As if seeing his scary mug wouldn't drive them away instantly. He knew he wasn't the most sociable person in the world. Amélie once said he had the social tact of a honey badger. He didn't know what was going on in Reinhardt's head if he thought this was a good idea. Unless Ana had something to do with it. He could never say no to that woman. But he guessed no one really could. Ana had a kindness to her but sometimes Gabriel wasn't sure what her goals were. Although she had a motherly aura about her, Gabriel knew there was a snake underneath the shawl she usually wore around the station when she came by every once in a while. 

Ana had been one of the founding members of the Gibraltar fire station along with Reinhardt and Gabrielle Adawe, the newly elected mayor of the town. She had countless of awards given to her for her bravery and determination, until she had to take an early retirement after a rescue went wrong. It didn't just leave a hole in the department but also left a permanent physical scar on Ana, leaving her blind in one eye. Even though people would think someone would want to cover such an injury, Ana wore it with pride. 

His thoughts drifted back to Jack. Gabriel didn't see any noticeable blemish on Jack's face that indicated he was blind. He looked ― normal. Nothing about him screamed that he was handicapped. Jack held himself as any normal person would, perhaps with a bit more confidence. It had been one of the things that instantly caught his attention when he had first laid eyes on him. The fact that he had not shied away from Gabriel's gruff voice when they had first met. He hadn't flinched away when Gabriel came up with his discolored and scarred face. Though, Gabriel now knew why his physical appearance hadn't phased Jack at all. With the cool blue of Jack's eyes, Gabriel would have never knew that Jack was blind. His eyes seemed so full of life, as if they themselves were alive as well. 

Maybe he had a chance. 

People usually stared or backed away from Gabriel when he walked down the streets. His face wasn't the easiest to look at. His skin had uneven colored blotches, marring his once smooth tanned skin, some of it wrinkled and stretched in places it hadn't healed correctly. The deep and shallow valleys of scars on his face wrapped around his lips and nose, making his sneers look even more threatening. His eyebrows weren't full, patchy due to the wounds he suffered. Jesse had always joked that he should fill them in with makeup, to which Gabriel would always respond by smacking him upside the head stating he would never go near makeup. 

He always thought about what he would look like if the accident had never happen.

A lot of things would have been different, not just his looks. 

Unfortunately, he didn't have too much time to mull it over because his thoughts were interrupted when his face painfully slammed into the door that led into the common area. He cursed rather colorfully and thanked whatever god was listening that Mako was not there to witness his screw up.

"Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with me?" he hissed as he rubbed the tip of his nose with a gloved hand. He shook his head to get rid of the sudden dizziness from the impact before opening the door and walking in, keeping his back to the group of people talking among themselves. He strode over to the whiteboard, grabbing an eraser on the way as he wiped the board clean. He mentally apologized to Jamison before erasing any trace of his drawings on the board. Uncapping one of the markers, he wrote the date before capping it once more and turning around to get a good look at the people he would be spending the next few months training.

"May twenty three, you better remember the date kiddies because you're going to wish it never happened," Gabriel snarled, "Because today's the day you'll wish you never turned in that damn application." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is reading and leaving kudos, I appreciate you all so much! Keep up the support. ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel meets new but familiar faces but they're definitely not the faces he'd rather be spending his time on.

The murmuring quickly came to a stop after the harsh words left his mouth. His scowl only deepened when he realized they had still been talking while he had been busy writing on the board. _These damn brats think this is high school or some shit._  

He scans the small crowd made up of about ten or so people. They all look fairly young, some in their twenties but Gabriel can spot a couple above that range. Though he thought this would be rather uninteresting, his eyes land on a couple of recruits that look familiar. The tanned woman with the tattoo under her eye is here. Gabriel remembers her from the photos at the coffee shop. She holds herself tall and proud, as if she is standing in line during roll call in the army and Gabriel is her commanding officer. He notices with some respect that she hadn't been talking during his introduction. Her eyes burn into his face. She isn't looking directly in his eyes, her gaze watching his nose or perhaps his beard. 

His eyes drift to the side to notice the man beside her, also having some sort of regal air about him. He is one of the older members of the bunch. Long raven black hair held up in a small ponytail atop his head, wisps of gray beginning on his temples and bleeding into the the rest of his hair. His goatee has flecks of grain in it as well, framing the straight line of his mouth. Gabriel inwardly chuckles as the man's facial expression looks like as if he just ate something sour. What catches his eye the most is the beginnings of what looks like a tattoo sleeve poking out from the sleeve of his dress shirt. The maw of what looks like some sort of lizard peeks out, as if challenging Gabriel. 

Making one more look through the group Gabriel only is interested in a couple more individuals. A strong woman with obnoxious pink hair stands near the back, her presence looming. Unconsciously, Gabriel stands up a bit straighter, squaring his shoulders. Just when he's about to open his mouth the popping of what sounds to be bubblegum distracts him. 

A vein pops on his forehead as he looks towards the source of the sound. A young woman with bronze skin that rivals his own stands near one of the walls at the back, leaning onto it in an almost lazy, playful manner. 

"Is this the part where you try to scare us like in _Fullmetal Jacket?_ " she asks mockingly. He can pick up a distinct Spanish accent in her voice. 

"Would you rather me baby you and tell you everything is gonna be all peachy keen with rainbows and shit?" Gabriel all but growls out, crossing his arms over his chest to hide his clenched fists. _This is just like dealing with a preteen Jesse all over again_.

"You know what rainbows are? I thought you'd only know death and darkness with all that edgy energy you're giving off," she has the gall to outright snicker at him, popping her gum once more. 

"If you are done miss, we would all rather move on with orientation than listen to your antagonizing dialogue," the Asian gentleman points out, giving emphasis on the 'miss'. 

The young Latina raises a brow, looking a bit surprised that someone actually responded other than Gabriel. She shrugs and gestures to Gabriel in a 'go right ahead' motion.

"As I was saying," Gabriel takes a small breath before continuing, "this program isn't for everyone as you all probably know already. Being a firefighter isn't like those stories you heard when you were brats. This is the real world, things are gonna happen that you don't want to happen. And sometimes you're just gonna have to just suck it up and live with it. But since you're already here, you're stuck with my ugly mug for the next few months for your training." 

A hand is raised from the middle of the crowd. The large woman from before speaks with a heavy Russian accent, "And who exactly are you, old man?" 

He can hear a faint teasing tone in her voice, "Reyes, Gabriel Reyes. Call me Gabriel, Reyes, sir, whatever the hell floats your boat."

He snarls, a the scarred corner of his mouth turning upwards, "Anything but that." 

"Aw but you said―" she starts but he quickly cuts her off.

"I'm leading your sorry asses so I can make my own rules. And rule number one, don't call me Gabe," he uncrosses his arms as he walks over to the table situated near the whiteboard. He picks up a clipboard Reinhardt no doubt left for him. It has a couple pages, the top ones are the various names of the recruits that are gathered here today. He shuffles through them, seeing a list of procedures and a to do list written in Reinhardt's somehow still readable scrawl. Looking through it more carefully he can find hints of Ana's handwriting in it as well, marking over various grammar and punctuation mistakes Reinhardt has made. He rolls his eyes, chuckling at her antics. No matter what, Ana always seemed to be there to fix any mistakes made no matter by who or where. 

"Alright, I'm gonna call out names. Just like when you were all back in high school," he flips back to the first page, reading through names he'll never remember. He comes to learn the names of the few people that managed to peek his interest. The troublemaker from before is named Sombra and he files that information away for later because he knows she will be the biggest pain in his ass for the next couple months. He already sees her main goal is to make his life as difficult as possible. The bulky woman with the accent is named Aleksandra but he is quickly told to call her Zarya. The uptight man is named Hanzo and Gabriel really wonders why he's dressed he is supposed to be working at an upscale office building instead of training to be a firefighter. 

But what really draws his attention is the name of the exotic woman from the coffee shop photos. His eyes zero in on her last name. Amari. As in Ana Amari's daughter? His eyes narrow and his eyebrows furrow in disbelief before he looks up to look at her. She is looking at him directly now. Her sharp gaze tears into him reminding Gabriel of the same piercings stares Ana has drilled into him for the past few years he's known her. The similarities are striking and Gabriel doesn't understand how he couldn't figure it out sooner.

He clears his throat, making sure it doesn't crack, "Amari, Fareeha."

As if her stance couldn't get any stiffer, she manages to straighten up even more, "Present, sir." 

"Guessing you know Ana then. You her daughter or something? Long lost niece?" 

Finally, a hint of emotion showed on her face in the form of a small smirk before she answered, "She's my mother, sir." 

He inwardly cursed. So they were related. He had never asked Ana before about any of her family. He had never seen a wedding band on her finger so he assumed she was a lone wolf. He couldn't be any more wrong. He rolled his shoulders, feeling them pop. 

"You're mother's a tough one, you gonna be as good as her, Amari?" he said, subtlety egging her on.

"I planned to, even if I wasn't going to be in the same department as her," she answered. 

He snorted, "Then let's see what you've got. Knowing your mother, she'll be popping in here quite a lot to see how her little angel is doing," He hadn't meant to be so antagonistic but he couldn't help but find someone other than Sombra to tease.

"I'm quite aware, sir. And I'm prepared." 

"Good to know." 

* * *

He lets the newbies mill around for a little bit more as he excuses himself for a few minutes. He has a death grip on the clipboard and he can feel it about to give in if he puts just a hint of pressure on it. He storms his way through the station, not caring when he brushes past Mako without a hint of recognition. He finally gets to Ana's office and barges in, not bothering waiting for an okay as he marches in as if he owns the place. Luckily Ana is actually in her office, sitting at her desk with a porcelain tea cup, sipping her beverage casually as if Gabriel didn't just enter the room without her consent.

"Ah Gabriel, what do I owe this pleasure? I thought you were out there training the new recruits," although she isn't smiling Gabriel can see the twinkle of mirth in her one visible eye, the other being fashionably covered with her graying bangs.

"Don't play coy with me Ana," he tries not to sound as aggressive as usual. Unlike most people, he actually has an overwhelming amount of respect for Ana.

"Coy? Come on now Gabriel, you know me. I only want to know what has you so hopped up."

"Your damn daughter, that's what has got me all hopped up."

She places her cup down gently, leaning back in her chair in a more relaxed position even though Gabriel's tone offers nothing but hostility, "I see you've met my darling Fareeha, isn't she a gem? You can call her Pharah if you'd like, she enjoys that nickname." 

He slams the clipboard against the surface of the desk, "A little notice would have been nice." 

"You don't need one Gabriel, I trust you are completely capable of handling an Amari. I mean, you were able to go through my training right?" 

His mind goes back to his earlier days in the station. He was still a ruffian as he is today but there was still some veil of innocence in his demeanor when he was younger. Though, it was crushed the moment he walked into the station and was put in Ana's unit. Winston had been lucky and was put in Reinhardt's group while he and Mako had the displeasure of being bunched together with the unlucky group of newly acquired draftees who were also placed with Ana. Although the experience had been grueling, Gabriel knew that he became a better and stronger person after suffering through Ana's long training regiment. He planned on using similar tactics to train his own group. Though now that he had Amari in his unit, he wasn't sure if it was a suitable option now. 

"I barely made it out of there with my life," Gabriel says. He knows he's over exaggerating but a part of him also knows he isn't. 

"How about this," Ana leans forward to clasp her hands together and leans her head atop them, "I'll take over for the rest of the day but tommorrow, you better have a newly designed training strategy. One that has no influences from my own plans that I used when I trained you and Rutledge." 

He visibly paled. So she did know about his plans to train the recruits. Damn Ana, how the hell did she already― Reinhardt. He visibly deflates after realizing. Of course he would show Gabriel's training plans with Ana for approval. _How could he be so blind?_

She chuckled at his drastic mood change, "I would recommend getting a coffee before starting your overnight planning period." 

She couldn't have been more right. 

* * *

Usually Gabriel never had more than two or three coffees per week. But knowing he would have to spend the rest of his night coming up with a whole new training plan, he knew he needed to get some caffeine soon. He glanced down at his watch, noticing that class for Jesse was already over. He was glad he didn't have to drive all the way back there to pick him up. Jesse and Lucio would take the bus home together and Jesse would make his way from the bus stop to the house, or so Gabriel hoped he would. He would wad that brat's hat and shove it in the garbage disposal if that boy didn't follow his directions. 

By the time he left the station and made his way to the coffee shop, Gabriel wondered if Jack even was still there on shift. He entered and immediately his eyes darted to the cashier, disappointed to see it wasn't Jack. There was no one in line so he was able to give his order and grab his large coffee without much hassle. And if he waited around the front of the shop for a little longer than necessary, he didn't bother to dwell on it too much. 

He leaned his back against the corner of the shop, taking in the sights of cars passing by monotonously. He lifted the cup to his lips, feeling the steam lightly dew his beard as his eyes roamed the expanse of the street. It was nearing the evening and people were making their way home, increasing the traffic as well as the exhaust of cars, the smog permeate more through the air. He crinkled his nose, not really understanding why he was waiting out here. But the chance of seeing Jack one last time before heading home kept him rooted to the spot. 

The familiar jingle of the door caught his attention. He glanced towards the entrance, suddenly very interested as a familiar shock of blonde hair came into view. The door was being politely held open by one of the employees Gabriel never had the interest of actually knowing. Jack exited the shop, giving a small wave and thanks before letting his cane lead the way down the sidewalk directly towards Gabriel. 

 _It's now or never._  

"Hey Jack," he called out over the roar of the cars next to them.

"Gabriel?" Jack's head tilted to the side as he recognized his voice. "Didn't know you'd go for two cups in a day," he chuckled.

"Yeah well I got my work cut out for me tonight," he answered, smiling. _Damn, it felt good to be around Jack._  

"What do you do for a living?" Jack asked.

"I'm a firefighter. I, uh, work at Gibraltar fire station right across the street."

"Whoa, you're a firefighter? That's so brave of you, that's amazing!" Jack sounded genuinely impressed as he leaned in a little. Gabriel wasn't sure if it was voluntary or not. 

"Brave? I guess you could call it that, that or just stupidity," he let out a small laugh. 

"No, not stupidity. Putting yourself in danger for somebody else's well being, that is something I can respect."

Gabriel could feel his heart flutter at Jack's praise, "It's nothing really, we haven't had an incident bigger than a toaster setting off a fire alarm in a while." 

Jack giggled, an honest to god giggle and Gabriel wasn't sure what he liked better; Jack's laugh or smile. He was so screwed. 

"Sounds like something I would do, honestly. If it happens, can I count on you guys to save me?" Jack inquired with a raised brow and a smirk. 

Gabriel gave his own grin, "You call and I'll be there." 

"I'll keep your word on that," Jack smiled before a honk interrupted their conversation. Gabriel scowled as he looked towards the source of the sound. Beside them, an average sized car pulled up beside them with its hazard lights on. A blonde head peeked out from the driver's side and he recognized her from one of the photos on the wall in the shop; the caring eyed woman next to Amari. 

"Jack!" she called out, her lips curved up into a friendly smile.

"Hey Angela, thanks for coming," Jack turned his head towards her voice before facing Gabriel once more, "It was nice meeting you again Gabriel, hopefully we'll have many more encounters to come," he gave Gabriel one last smile before carefully walking his way towards the car. Angela had gotten out to open the door for him, closing it after he was comfortably belted inside. 

She glanced over at him, giving him another kind smile before getting in the car himself. Somehow Jack waved at Gabriel as the car started back up and he couldn't help but wave back. 

And if Gabriel had a little bit more of a pip in his step as he walked to his car, he didn't even notice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to try and start making chapters a bit longer so this doesn't end up being a 20+ chapter story, lol.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? I'll be doing my best to update every week!


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